ANDREW TAYLOR SIGNS FOR WIGAN ATHLETIC

Former England Under 21 defender is first new arrival at Latics this Summer.

He’s a leader, someone who can take responsibility on the field."

Uwe Rosler

Wigan Athletic are delighted to announce that Andrew Taylor has moved to the DW Stadium from Cardiff City.

The 27-year-old left-back has passed a medical at the DW Stadium and put pen to paper on a three year deal until the summer of 2017.

Taylor was a mainstay of the Bluebirds team that won promotion to the Premier League and kept his place in the side in the initial games of last season, until the departure of manager Malky Mackay.

He made over 100 appearances in all competitions for City since joining in 2011 from Middlesbrough, where he had progressed through the youth ranks to play over 150 first-team games – including the Premier League and Europa League.

An FA Youth Cup winner at Boro, Taylor featured alongside current Premier League stars Adam Johnson, Chris Brunt and James Morrison at the Riverside.

On Taylor’s arrival, Latics boss Uwe Rosler said:

“I’m very, very happy to get a player of Andrew’s stature and experience to our football club.

“He helped Malky Mackay’s promotion-winning team, he is a very experienced and reliable player who is at the best stage of his career and I’m looking forward to working with him.

“He has all the qualities in his position that we are looking for; physically, technically he’s very good and tactically he has developed as a player well.

“He’s willing to go forward, participating in our play offensively and he’s another cornerstone in our team for next season.

“The quality he’s shown as a player for Middlesbrough and Cardiff is good but in particularly at Cardiff where he was captain of their promotion-winning team; I think that will do us very well as a team in next season’s campaign, especially when we’re bringing in younger players who need experienced players on the side to develop in the best way.

And Taylor echoed his new manager’s sentiments, stating his desire to take Latics back to the top-flight.

“Wigan Athletic are a big club, with Premier League experience and big aspirations,” he added.

“The manager seems really good and I think his record when he came to the club last season speaks volumes.

“It’s a fresh challenge for me and one I’m very excited about; I had three good years at Cardiff but everything has to come to an end and I’m looking forward to getting started at the DW Stadium.”